Dogtags
by eyeliner-pixie
Summary: When Sodapop gets his draft notice the Curtis' lives are turned upsidedown ((bad summary, the story is better!Only one chapter but long! If it was split up it wouldn't make sense))


The room seemed empty, without Soda's presence. Ponyboy sat on the bed, watching his brother pack his life into a duffle bag. Just the essentials, they told him. What they didn't understand was that Soda was an essential. He was a Curtis brother. He was Sodapop Curtis.  
  
Slowly, with a blank expression he put some neatly folded clothes into his bag along with a pad of paper and some pens. "Well" Soda said as he sighed and rubbed his hand through his hair "I guess that's it" "Yeah" sighed Ponyboy "I guess it is" Soda sat down on the edge of the bed, Pony flopped down next to him. "Soda" Ponyboy said, "Do you really have to go? I mean, how much of a difference can you make out there in Vietnam with your good looks and muscles?" Soda chuckled at his comment and was silent for a moment "you know Pony, I don't even know what they're fighting about over there" They both lied in there on the bed knowing very well this may be the last time the ever spent together. Sodas mind wandered back to the day he first got his letter...  
  
It was a regular morning in the Curtis household.  
  
Darrel was up at the crack of dawn cooking breakfast for everyone so Soda and Pony were stuck with washing dishes. Sandy and Toby were sleeping soundly in the spare bedroom where they had been sleeping since they moved in around a year ago. Just like every morning, Soda hopped in the shower, Helped clean up and then started off to work.  
  
Steve didn't come around anymore, after Johnny and Dally died Steve drank himself to death. Before leaving, he quietly stepped into their room and kissed Sandy and whispered, "I love you" into her ear, kissed Toby on the cheek and headed off to the DX.  
  
Late that afternoon Soda arrived home. He kicked off his shoes and threw his socks at the couch; they landed on Sandy who was holding a very fussy Toby. "Sodapop Curtis" Sandy said in motherly tone "what have I told you about throwing your dirty laundry all around the house? That's what clothes hampers are for!!" Soda looked up at her with puppy dog eyes "And how's my little Toby today?" Soda said smiling and he took Toby into his arms. Sandy gave in "I hate it when you do that" "Oh, I know" he said as he kissed her forehead softly  
  
She looked at him with her big hazel eyes and said "Daddy!" as she nuzzled her face into his shoulder. He kissed her on the cheek and put her down onto the floor. Quickly she ran over to Ponyboy who was drinking a glass of chocolate milk and latched onto his leg.  
  
Soda smiled and sat down at the kitchen table where Darry was also sitting. "Hey Dar, What's takin' place?" he said happily as he began to sort through the mail "Nothin' but bills there Soda, nothin' that would interest you," he said in a monotone voice as he continued to work out math figures for bills. Soda put the bills down on the table and got up to get himself a glass of chocolate milk.  
  
As he opened the fridge something caught his eye on the floor. Picking it up he realized it was a letter addressed to: Mr. Sodapop Curtis Thinking nothing of it he leaned up against the kitchen counter and opened the letter.  
  
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Sodas face turned ghostly pale as he walked over to the couch where Toby and Sandy were sitting watching Mickey. "Honey?" Sandy said to Soda sensing some sort of problem "Soda, what's wrong?" she was getting concerned.  
  
"Sandy, I..I've been drafted" He shuddered at the thought of that word. He'd seen what went on over there, all the killing and torture.  
  
"WHAT?" Darry and Ponyboy yelled at the same time "God, No!!" Sandy cried as she buried her head in her arms and began to sob  
  
"shhh" Soda said, pulling Sandy in close as he tried to quiet her, afraid she would scare Toby.  
  
Toby, who was sitting on the floor, crawled over to her father climbing up into his lap. He looked into her bright hazel eyes. They were full of sadness, like she knew what was going on. Soda ran his fingers through her dusty blonde hair and said "don't worry baby, I'm gonna come home"  
  
"Soda, Sodapop!!"  
  
"Huh?" Soda said snapping out of his trance "Soda, its 8:30, you uhh.. You better get goin" Darry said as he shoved his fists in his pockets.  
  
His face was red a puffy from crying, soda could tell but he said nothing. Darry didn't cry much, not even when their parents died. Soda stood up, the thought of leaving his little brother, his wife and child made him sick to his stomach so he sat down on the bed.  
  
"Darry" Soda said as his brother sat down beside him "Darry, I'm scared man, what if I don't come home? What's Sandy and Toby gonna do? I don't want her growing up without a dad"  
  
"Come on little buddy" Darry said putting his arm around Soda  
  
"You gotta think positive, just do your job and come home, home to your little girl" "Thanks Dar" Soda said as he stood up to get his bag  
  
"Soda" Darry said with a quiver in his voice  
  
"Yeah Dar?"  
  
"Soda.. I love you"  
  
"I love you too Darry" he said as he hugged Darry. He wasn't going to let him lose another person.  
  
Everyone's head turned as the taxi outside honked loudly. I guess it's time to go, Soda said. Darry hung his head, not willing to let Soda see him cry. Ponyboy opened the front door, and was devastated by the reality of the yellow taxi in the driveway. Just then, Sandy walked into the room, Toby close behind her. Like all children her age, Toby sensed something was wrong, without understanding Sandy and Sodapop embrace each other, Sandy crying openly and Soda hugging her tightly. Good-bye, everyone. Soda said, as he waved from the door. Everyone looked as though it was a funeral, as if Soda was walking to his death.  
  
Toby escaped Sandy's grasp, and raced out to meet her father. Looking up at him with large hazel eyes, she looked confused and scared. "Don't worry Toby, I'll be back soon" Soda said as he raised Toby into his arms. Toby nestled into his arms, as if going to sleep. Bending down, he placed her onto the lawn, beside her sandbox. "Daddy?" Toby questioned. With sorrow-filled eyes, Soda blew a kiss at his daughter, and opened the taxi door.  
  
The sun began to set, as the taxi drove down the Curtis drive way. The sun shone on Toby's golden hair, and glinted the tears on her face. No cricket's chirped, no birds sang. Only the whispers of Toby could be heard. "Daddy?" echoed through the poor neighborhood, as the baby cried out to her father.  
  
Months passed and Soda wrote home every day. He usually wrote to sandy and told her everything.  
  
He told her about the weather and all his new friends. He failed to mention all the death; the fact that they were murdering old women and little babies because they were told they could be VC or the fact that just the other day he had seen his good friend Two-Bit who had been drafted a few months earlier. That same day Two-Bit stepped on a landmine and died, they never found his left leg.  
  
Soda was slowly getting used to the routine. Get up, go on patrol, kill some people, and go back to base. He had become numb, to the point of not being able to distinguish fantasy from reality. It was like one big dream to him. Sometimes he wished he was in one of the body bags but Darry's words kept ringing in his ears ", just do your job and come home, home to your little girl"  
  
The next day it was raining hard, Soda lied in his cot listening to the raindrops beating down on the tin roof. Unable to sleep he pulled out his pad of paper and pen and began to write a letter to Toby.  
  
Dear Toby, It's your dad.  
  
I'm writing you this letter to tell you that I love you very much..  
  
He never got to finish because the company sergeant burst into the barracks yelling out orders "PERCELL, BELL, CURTIS, JOHNSON" he barked out "THERES BEEN AN ATTACK ON THE CAMBODIA BORDER, YOUR GOING OUT FOR BACKUP" Sleepily all four of them got into their fatigues and headed out the door. Before he left Soda stuffed the unfinished letter into his pocket.  
  
Things were bad when the helicopter dropped them off. All around them were dead bodies and the piercing sounds of bullets. Soda and the others immediately started shooting in the general direction of the noise. The gunfire seemed to slow after a few minutes and all appeared to be calm. They started to walk around the area, surveying the damage when from behind them came 6 VC soldiers, one of them was a little boy no more than 11 years old.  
  
They started shooting at each other and Percell was hit. Bell and Johnson ran and were followed by 5 of the soldiers leaving only Soda and the little boy. Soda looked into his eyes. They were big and brown, kind of like Johnny's.  
  
He just stood there wondering what he should do. He was standing next to a vicious killer but he was also a little boy, with a mother and father and maybe sisters or brothers. The boy's hands were shaking as he pulled his rifle close to his chest. Sods knew what he was going to do so he reached for his but the boy pulled his trigger.  
  
Soda stood for a moment, stunned, before he fell to his knees clutching his chest. Blood pooled around him, as he lay lifeless on the ground. With his last ounce of energy he pulled a picture from his tunic pocket, a picture of Sandy and Toby. Clutching it tightly in his hand Soda managed to whisper, "I love you Toby, I love you Sandy" with those last words, He died.  
  
Back at home Sandy was getting worried. It has been two weeks without and letters which wasn't usual for Sodapop. She stood at the window, looking out into the street where some children were playing tag. A large black car pulled up the road and into the Curtis' driveway. Two men wearing military dress uniforms got out and walked up to the front door.  
  
Sandy opened the door before they had a chance to knock.  
  
"Hello, Can I help you?" Sandy said silently hoping this was not what she thought it was. "Mrs. Curtis?" one of the men said "Yes, that's me, what's wrong?"  
  
"Mrs.Curtis, we regret to inform you that your husband Sodapop Curtis has been killed in the line of duty" A wave of nausea swept over Sandy as she fell to the ground and began to sob uncontrollably. "Miss" one of the men said, offering her his hand  
  
" These personal articles were found with him at the time of his death, we felt you should have them" "Thank-you" she said wiping the tears from her eyes and taking the small bag.  
  
Inside were his dog tags and his pad of paper full of half written letters. At the bottom of the bag was a little envelope. Cautiously, she opened them. Inside was the picture of herself and her daughter Soda had held before he died and the unfinished letter to Toby.  
  
The men offered her their condolences then left.  
  
Sandy made her way over to the couch where Toby was sitting watching Mickey. Toby looked up at mother then crawled into her lap. Toby took the letter mothers hands and looked at it.  
  
"Daddy?" she said questioningly  
  
"No baby" Sandy said as tears rolled down her cheeks "Daddy's not coming home"  
  
Lifting Toby off of her lap Sandy walked over to the picture window where an American flag hung.  
  
She reached up and took the flag out of the window. In its place she hung Sodas dog tags. THE END 


End file.
